What is Indie? Documentary Film

I released "What is Indie? A look into the World of Independent Musicians" in 2006. This was before Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were part of every musician’s life. Digital downloads were just taking hold, let alone streaming music services. But even though so much in the industry has changed in the past 15+ years, the underlying spirit of the film remains as relevant as ever. 

I hope you enjoy watching a snapshot of the industry in 2004/05, from the perspective of independent musicians, and please feel free to reach out to let me know what you thought. 

About the film

In defining what it means to be an 'indie' artist, as well as looking at the changing landscape in the music industry, "What is INDIE?" ends up being a rallying cry for artists, and has been hailed as 'inspiring' and 'empowering' by audiences worldwide.

The film features interviews with indie music experts including Derek Sivers (Founder of CD Baby), Panos Panay (Founder of Sonicbids) and Suzanne Glass (Founder of Indie-Music.com), as well as with 20 artists including Ember Swift and Paul Cargnello. Does being indie mean that you're unsigned, or that you're just not signed to a major record label? Is it possible to be indie on a major label? Taking a look at the changing music industry and its effect on independent artists, the film draws some surprising conclusions!

A True Indie Success Story

Without any prior background in film (except for watching Super-Size Me "way too many times") and funded entirely with his own credit cards, Montreal director Dave Cool has taken the film from a small do-it-yourself project and turned it into an indie success story in its own right that continues to turn heads in the music and film industries, even catching the attention of CNN.com, Newsweek Magazine and Canada's National Film Board.

"What is INDIE? needs to be studied by any indie artist and label." - Music Connection Magazine 

Awards & Nominations: 
• Top Indie Release of 2006 (Indie-Music.com) 
• Best Feature Length Video (Just Plain Folks Music Awards- Nominated) 
• 2 Songs for "Best Song Used in Film/TV" (Independent Music Awards- Nominated) 

“All independent musicians, especially those wondering if they should be pursuing a major label deal, need to watch this documentary.” - Jennifer Layton, Assistant Editor, Indie-Music.com